Giving in

The Prince William County school system has lifted the filter that blocks gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender websites from school computers. The school system had received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia approximately six weeks ago threatening legal action if the filter was not removed.

"Internet filtering is difficult, sometimes imprecise, and constantly evolving. It is nearly impossible to find the perfect balance between the protection of students, freedom of speech, and equal access," said Keith Imon, associate superintendent for Communications and Technology Services, in a news release on Thursday. "However, the decision to discontinue the use of the LGBT filter is within this balance."

In April, the ACLU sent the Prince William County school system a letter charging them with violating students' First Amendment rights by blocking LGBT websites. ('Merely Educational?' April 21, 2011) The letter was part of the "Don't Filter Me" initiative to stop public schools across the country from blocking LGBT websites.

"We commend Prince William school officials for removing this discriminatory LGBT filter, which serves no purpose but to deprive students of important educational materials and resources," said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis in a news release.

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of the Liberty Counsel, disagrees with the ACLU claims. "Public schools do not have to let in every website or every book that the ACLU wants," he told WORLD Virginia in April. "They have a right to be able to control the kind of literature that they present in their curriculum, the kind of books they put in their library, and the access to their internet."

Prince William school system officials stated that after a review, they concluded that the LGBT filter can be removed without violating any state or federal requirements to block objectionable content. The school system is currently working with the internet filter company, Blue Coat, to "further streamline" the LGBT filter category.

"The vast majority of school districts have no desire to discriminate against LGBT-related content and are simply trying to protect their students from pornographic or sexually explicit materials," said Joshua Block, staff attorney with the ACLU's LGBT Project, in the press release. "By failing to step in to remove the 'LGBT' filter, Blue Coat is doing a disservice to its customers and the students they serve."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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